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«Skin Tone Differences in Social Mobility in Mexico: Are We Forgetting Regional Variance?»

Author

Listed:
  • Luis Angel Monroy-Gómez Franco
  • Roberto Vélez Grajales

    (Centro de Estudios Espinosa Yglesias)

Abstract

Recent analyses at the national scale have concluded that there is a strong relationship between skin tones and social mobility in Mexico, where darker skin tones are associated with lower rates of relative upward intergenerational mobility compared to the rest of the population. The present paper shows that these previous estimates are biased downwards as they fail to take into account the effects of regional differences in the distribution of skin tones. We correct for this factor by analyzing a new data set with information representative at the regional level. Our results suggest that the mobility gap between light and dark skin tone individuals persists after including the regional dimension in the analysis. Throughout the country, light skin individuals have an advantage at moving upwards the socioeconomic scale and remaining at the top compared with the rest of the population. However, the magnitude of the gap varies across regions, being smallest in Mexico City and largest in the North West and South regions of the country.

Suggested Citation

  • Luis Angel Monroy-Gómez Franco & Roberto Vélez Grajales, 2020. "«Skin Tone Differences in Social Mobility in Mexico: Are We Forgetting Regional Variance?»," Papers 2020_07, Centro de Estudios Espinosa Yglesias.
    • Handle: RePEc:auk:ecosoc:2020_07
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrea Salas-Ortiz, 2025. "Understanding the role of inequality of opportunity in body mass index and waist circumference among Mexican adults," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 23(2), pages 507-528, June.
    2. Monroy-Gómez-Franco, Luis Angel, 2022. "Regional comparisons of intergenerational social mobility: the importance of positional mobility," SocArXiv zgfvk, Center for Open Science.
    3. Paloma Villagómez-Ornelas & Luis Monroy-Gómez-Franco, 2021. "Economic Inequality meets Social Stratification: An Application of Stratification Economics to Mexico," Papers 2021_03, Centro de Estudios Espinosa Yglesias.
    4. Monroy-Gómez-Franco, Luis & Vélez-Grajales, Roberto & Yalonetzky, Gastón, 2021. "Layers of inequality: Unequal opportunities and skin colour in Mexico," MPRA Paper 106605, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Monroy-Gómez-Franco, Luis, 2023. "Shades of social mobility: Colorism, ethnic origin and intergenerational social mobility," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 247-266.
    6. Monroy-Gómez-Franco, Luis, 2023. "The importance of positional mobility for regional comparisons," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(3), pages 322-333.
    7. repec:osf:socarx:zgfvk_v1 is not listed on IDEAS

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development
    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty

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